A government study performed in the United States has found that 5% of vehicles involved in crashes experienced some sort of tire problem. The moral of the study is that underinflated tires are at significantly higher risk of causing an accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration -- using data gathered between 2005 and 2007 -- conducted the study.

According to the study, vehicles with tires underinflated by 25% or more were three times as likely to be involved in the crash linked to tire problems. The study also found that 66% of tire related crashes involve passenger cars.

"Tire problems are inherently hazardous to vehicle safety," the NHTSA report said. "When these problems emerge in the pre-crash phase, the time window for attempting a crash avoidance maneuver is normally very small."

Another discovery made in the study includes that poorly maintained tires are tires that are underinflated are also more likely to experience problems in bad weather.

Of the sample vehicles that the study looked at it was determined that 11.2% had problems linked to tires in bad weather compared to 3.9% when weather was not a factor. Senior vice president for public affairs cites the new tire study for the Rubber Manufacturers Association, Dan Zielinski, as a clear indication that proper tire maintenance and inflation are critical for driver safety.

Tire pressure monitoring systems are installed in all 2008 model year and newer vehicles due to a U.S. government mandate. The tire pressure monitoring system alerts drivers when any tire is 25% or more below the recommended inflation level.